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QFG2 Technical Manual
WHAT IS QUEST FOR GLORY? Quest for Glory combines the character development and combat of fantasy role-playing games with the basic adventure game concept of exploring a world and solving its puzzles. Trial by Fire is the second Quest for Glory scenario. The essence of role-playing is that you must try to think as your character would when faced with a dilemma. In Quest for Glory II, you can choose from three basic character types - the strong fighter, the mysterious magician, or the wily thief. Each has the same goal: to find Arus al-Din and restore him to the rank of Emir of Raseir. Each character will, however, set about accomplishing that goal in a different way. The magician may use spells to overcome some obstacles, but might not survive a pitched battle with a monster. The thief must find a crafty way around the same problem that the fighter or magic user would approach directly. Experience can be a tremendous asset to you as a hero. Your attributes will improve as you play the game. Tasks that are beyond your ability early on may become less difficult as your skills improve. Conversation is a very important element of Trial by Fire. You will meet many strange people and creatures in Shapeir. To learn about your surroundings and your quest, it will be necessary to speak with everyone you meet. Like your character, the beings you meet will have distinct personalities, and their skill and knowledge may lie in different areas. You'll want to ask specific questions, and find out all you can. Every hero must deal with his share of foul and ferocious monsters. If you want to be a hero, you'll have to fight or avoid them, as they don't tend to favor discussion. Each battle you fight will provide you with valuable experience, and many victories will yield treasure that you will need to buy food and equipment. A hero's life isn't always serious, though. Between desperate encounters with terrible monsters and life-and- death decisions lie many light-hearted, humorous and downright silly moments. Shapeir is a strange place with a multi-faceted personality, as you will soon see. Creating a Character Before beginning your adventure, you'll choose from three basic character types The Fighter, The Magic User, or The Thief. Your selection will determine much about the sorts of obstacles you will encounter, and the means by which you will over come them. Choose CREATE CHARACTER from the starting screen. You will see the character selection screen. Choose the highlighted character from the character selection screen by pressing the ENTER key or by pointing with your mouse and clicking the button (multi- button mouse users will use the left button). Importing a Character From Spielburg If you successfully completed Quest For Glory I: So You Want To Be A Hero, your hero can travel to Shapeir by magic carpet and once again help you defeat evil. Locate the diskette on which you saved your hero after the QFG1 victory celebration. Load Trial By Fire, insert the saved hero diskette into a drive and choose IMPORT CHARACTER. A file selector box will appear on the screen, listing the files on the disk in drive A:. If your Hero is in another disk or directory, choose CHANGE DIRECTORY. Use your mouse or Arrow keys to highlight the name of the file containing your saved Hero, then click on the Import box or press ENTER To go back to the initial selection screen, choose CANCEL or press ENTER Each type of character comes with its own set of skills and abilities, some specific to the character type, some common to all three. Every type has pre-assigned point values for appropriate abilities. In addition, you will begin the game with a 50 point 'pool' to assign to the areas in which you wish your character to be strongest (see Assigning Skill Points, below. After you have chosen a character, you must name it. You may type in any name you like. The Fighter The Fighter depends upon his skill with weapons, his strength and his vitality to survive the rigors of life as a Hero. His weapon is his sword, and his best defense is his shield. We recommend that you play a Fighter if this is your first Quest for Glory adventure. The Magic User The Magic User must rely upon his intelligence and the successful casting of magic spells. He can best protect himself by avoiding close combat. The Thief The Thief counts on his skills, stealth, and agility. His weapon of choice is the dagger, and he prefers to throw it from a distance. He can best defend himself in combat by dodging. Assigning Skill Points To highlight a skill, use the mouse cursor or the up and down Arrow keys. To assign points to a skill, press the right Arrow I key. Each time the right I key is pressed, 5 points will be assigned to the highlighted skill. Press the left [Arrow key to subtract 5 points from a skill. (You may not reduce skill points below the original value of that skill.) For 'Fine tuning' use the I+] and I- ] keys to add or subtract one point at a time. To attain a skill not normally available to your character type (such as lock-picking for a fighter), choose the desired skill from the skill menu and assign points using the procedure described above. Acquiring a new skill costs 10 points, which means the minimum skill level of 5 will require 15 points from the 'Points Available' pool. These will be assigned automatically. Points for Health, Stamina or Magic cannot be changed by you directly. The values for these attributes will change automatically as you gain experience, suffer damage and modify certain skills. Strength is important in performing physical activities, especially combat. The Fighter must be strong to be effective. Intelligence will enable the Magic User to successfully learn and cast spells, and will benefit all characters when engaged in mental activities, such as out-thinking opponents in combat, or trying to think effectively. Agility is important during combat, and vital to lock-picking and stealth. The Thief cannot prosper without high agility. Vitality determines how much damage a character can sustain, and how quickly he will recover from damage and strenuous physical activity. High vitality is particularly useful to the Fighter. Luck can aid you in many subtle and mysterious ways, and is especially important to the Thief. Honor aids your interactions with those characters who live their lives by a code of honor. Honor points must be earned - they can not be assigned directly. Skills: Weapon Skill determines the character's ability to land a successful blow in combat bat. Parry is the ability to block an opponent's blow using a weapon or shield. Dodge is a skill used to avoid a blow by ducking or sidestepping it. Stealth is the art of moving quietly and discreetly, taking advantage of shadows and other camouflage when sneaking around. Pick Locks is the skill that allows a character to triumph over locked doors, chests, etc. A lock pick or thief's tool kit is necessary to use this skill. Throw determines your character's aptitude for throwing and accurately hitting a target with a small object such as a rock or a dagger. Climb is the skill that allows a character to scale difficult surfaces Magic is the basic skill required to learn and cast magical spells. Communication is the skill of putting your thoughts in order and expressing yourself effectively to others. Each character also possesses attributes that are set automatically based on certain skills and abilities Health Points gauge the amount of damage a character can suffer before he will die. Stamina Points determine how much energy a character has to perform physical activities. When Stamina points are low, the character is tired. He will fight less effectively, and may be injured more easily. Magic Points measure the amount of mana or magical energy a character has, and therefore how much magic he can perform. When magic points are gone, the character will be unable to cast spells. Skills and abilities improve with practice. The skills your character exercises frequently will improve more rapidly, while those left unused will remain fixed at their original levels. Your character can only advance in skills in which he has at least five points. The Story Thus Far... You begin Trial By Fire flush with the success of your last adventure (as depicted in Quest for Glory 1: So You Want To Be A Hero). As you recall, you arrived in Spielburg with little but your Famous Adventurers' Correspondence School diploma. But now you are the Hero of Spielburg, having defeated the brigands and driven Baba Yaga from the valley. You also made many important friends, including the Archmage Erasmus (and his faithful companion Fenrus), and the Baron Stefan von Speilburg. Your friendship with the Kattas Shema and Shameen, and Abdulla Doo the Merchant, has led to your current quest. You are now riding with Abdulla and the Kattas on the merchant's magical carpet, recovered from the brigands' stolen treasures. After a long and harrowing journey, you at last arrive in the magnificent city of Shapeir. Unfortunately, just when you thought you could take a well-earned rest, you discover that Shapeir has problems of its own. A Hero is needed here, too! Now you must become your character, and learn to think as he would, use his u skills to experience the land of Shapeir, and be a Hero on your Quest for Glory. Living in this Crazy World Just as in real life, there are basic things a person must do to stay alive. You will need to eat a couple of meals each day. If you are carrying food, you'll eat automatically, but try not to run out of rations. Be especially careful not to run out of water. In the desert, water is life itself. You'll also need a certain amount of rest or sleep to regain Health, Stamina and Magic points. Without rest or sleep you will use these points quickly. Sleep is best accomplished in the safety of an inn. Also, as in real life, basic necessities often cost money. To earn money, you can fulfill a quest (thereby obtaining a reward), or defeat a wealthy monster. The thief has other options. The coin of the realm of Shapeir is unlike that of Spielburg. Here, 100 brass centimes = 1 golden dinar. Supplies such as food, equipment, magical spells and healing potions can be purchased from the local merchants. You will carry most of your equipment in a backpack. The amount you can carry is determined by your strength and the weight of the equipment. If for some reason you are in a hurry (a monster on your tail, or some such thing), type run to move more quickly. Don't run too far though, or you'll soon become tired. Type walk to resume walking normally. Characters with points assigned to STEALTH can also "sneak" when appropriate. Finding Your Way Around Shapeir The city of Shapeir, in contrast to the quaint Alpine village of Spielburg, is an ancient and thriving metropolis. Many first-time visitors find Shapeir's dense maze of streets and alleyways almost overwhelming. Outside the gates is the seemingly endless Shapeir Desert. The keys to keeping yourself oriented in this vast realm are proper use of a map and compass, taking advantage of such clues as street signs and the knowledge of local citizens. The Map Purchasing a map in the game will help your character find his way around the streets of Shapeir without getting hopelessly lost. Once your character has a map, you can type "use map" anywhere in the streets and plazas of Shapeir. Then, simply place your cursor on a map location, click the mouse button or press ENTER, and your character will walk directly there (unless, of course, something gets in his way). Until you have visited a location (such as a particular shop), it will not show up on the map. As you explore the city, you will discover more places and your map will become more useful. It's better than getting lost. To exit the map, press ESC. The Compass A compass is a very useful item for navigating the trackless desert, or even finding your way around town. Street Signs Even natives of Shapeir sometimes need a reminder as to where they are going and which way they are heading. (Wizards in particular are notorious for having difficulty in this area.) For this reason, street signs are prominently posted at all major intersections and in the plazas. Plaza signs also often include direction symbols. Asking Directions One way to find locations you haven't yet visited is to talk to the locals. A clear, concise set of directions may be your reward. (Of course, that rather depends on whom you ask!) The Saurus and Desert Travel Distances in the desert can be deceiving, and it is easy to lose your way. A well trained desert Saurus purchased from a reliable dealer can mean the difference between exploring the desert in comfort and death from sunstroke or dehydration. Whether you are walking or riding, never travel in the desert without a full waterskin. Night travel is also a good way to avoid the blazing desert sun. Winning the Game When you complete Quest for Glory II successfully, you will be given the opportunity to save your character for use in Quest for Glory II Wages of War. You will be asked to insert a formatted, writeable disk. Save this disk, as it will allow you to begin Shadows of Darkness with your character from Trial by Fire. Talking to Other Characters You will meet many strange beings in Shapeir- some human, some otherwise. Most of them know things that you don't. By speaking with them you can gain some of that knowledge. Everyone you meet will understand sentences in which you ask about something in their areas of expertise. You might ask about magic when speaking with the Astrologer or the Enchantress, or ask about heroes when you visit the Adventurer's Guild Hall. You'll want to jot down anything that seems important, as your conversations will provide you with most of the clues you'll need to save the land and once more prove your worth as a Hero. Many of the replies to your queries will suggest additional questions to ask, or lead you to others who can provide you with useful information. For example, when you ask Shameen about his inn, you will learn of the poet Omar. Combat The world is full of monsters and villains, and if you want to stay alive long enough to become a Hero, you really ought to learn how to fight them. A clash will occur any time a monster comes near enough to strike your character, or when you type fight. Combat can take place in the room where you encounter a monster (allowing more movement and strategy), or the screen may change to a close-up view of the monster. When you encounter a monster, you will need to react quickly. You can throw daggers or cast an appropriate spell while the monster is still at a distance, or you can type fight to engage in battle. While in combat, you can cast some spells, but you won't have time to use healing or other potions. In Quest for Glory II combat, you can Attack, Parry, Dodge, or Cast spells (assuming your character has the appropriate skills). All combat moves are made with the numeric keypad (see chart). In general, the top row of keys (7, 8, and 9) represent Attacks, the middle row (4, 5, and 6) represent Parries, and the bottom row (1, 2, and 3) cause your character to Dodge. A Swing is a powerful blow that generally does more damage than a Thrust. However, it takes slightly longer, giving your opponent a better chance to defend himself. Choose a High Swing or Low Swing to take advantage of weaknesses in your opponent' s defense. The direct Thrust is faster and harder to defend against, but leaves the attacker more open to a counterthrust. Use a Thrust when accuracy is more important than damage, as against a fast-moving but lightly-armored opponent. All attacks benefit from careful planning and timing. Parry or Dodge your opponent's attacks while preparing your next blow. Attacking too quickly will make you tire rapidly, and you will not hit as often as when you delay your thrusts. The Parry, most often practiced by Fighters, is the art of blocking your opponent's tack with your weapon or shield. Parrying is quicker than dodging, and less tiring, but must be timed properly to stop the enemy attack. Dodging is the art of physically avoiding your opponent's attacks. It is the only defensive skill available to most Thieves and Magic Users, and can also be crucial to Fighters when facing a clearly more dangerous opponent. Watch your enemy carefully - anticipate his moves, and choose the proper Dodge accordingly. Spells which may ordinarily be used in close combat include: Flame Dart, Force Bolt, Zap, and Dazzle. When in doubt, Run Away (but watch your backside!) Keyboard number pad keys: 7 = swing high 8 = thrust 9 = swing low 4 = high parry 5 = middle parry 6 = low parry 1 = dodge left 2 = dodge back 3 = dodge right In terms of combat strategies, timing and defense are both important in Quest for Glory I. Try to strike when your opponent is 'open,' and anticipate his attacks to better defend yourself. If you feel that the situation has gotten out of hand, you can type escape, or press CTRL-E to retreat. Many battles can be avoided, and it might be wise at times to do so. Combat, however, is one of the best ways for an aspiring Hero to practice and improve skills. Each time you defeat a monster, you'll gain valuable experience that will increase your chances in future battles. Remember, always "search the body" of your opponent after winning a battle, for some creatures carry money or other useful items. In most cases, Status Bars are displayed during combat, keeping you informed of Health, Stamina and Mana (magic energy) points for your character. As you become injured, Wealth points diminish. You will use Stamina points as you work hard at fighting or using your skills. When Stamina points are depleted, energy is drawn from Wealth. When Health points are gone, the character is dead. A Health bar is also displayed for your opponent, to show how badly it is injured. Your opponent's Stamina is not displayed, since it would not be obvious to you during combat. Thief Skills Thief characters have two special skills; 'Pick Locks' and 'Stealth.' To use these skills type pick lock to gain entrance to a locked door, or sneak to move quietly. When you are finished 'sneaking,' type walk to resume walking normally Magic A Magic User begins the game with several spells. For a thorough discussion of these spells and their effects, see the "Famous Adventurer's Correspondence School Manual". The spells he possesses will be listed in his inventory. Also Listed will be the number of Magic Points needed to cast a spell, and the level of skill the character has in each spell. His spell casting will improve with practice. To use a spell, type cast (or press [ Ctrl-C ] ), then type the name of the spell. Targeting Spells In Trial by Fire some spells must be targeted. If you cast such a spell, a targeting cursor will appear onscreen. The targeting cursor is in the shape of crosshairs. Use the mouse or Arrow keys to move the cursor to where you want to cast the spell, then click your left mouse button or press ENTER. The spell's success will depend on your skill in magic in general, and your skill with that spell in particular. Practice pays. HOW TO PLAY Moving your Hero You may move your character on the screen with the [ Arrow] keys, the numeric keypad, or the mouse. To halt your character's steps with the keyboard, press the number 5, or press the last used direction key again. Do NOT attempt to move the character by holding down the direction key. This will cause the character to start and stop continuously, resulting in very slow progress. Using the mouse, position the arrow to where you want the character to move, then click the left mouse button. Special Cursors Quest for Glory II uses special mouse cursors during certain modes of play. The shape of each cursor shows you what actions are available to your character at that time. If you are not using a mouse to play, the special cursor will usually appear in the lower right corner of the screen to inform you of the current mode. When you see a sword shaped cursor, you can move your character and/or type commands. When you see a dragonhead shaped cursor, you can neither move your character nor type commands. The circle with a cross inside is used for aiming targeted spells or when throwing something. Move the cursor to the place onscreen where you want to aim a spell. TRIAL BY FIRE MENUS When you press ESC, a menu bar will appear at the top of your screen with several menus that can be opened to show the command choices available to you. Use the left and right Arrow keys to open a menu, and the up and down Arrow keys to highlight items within a menu. If the menu choice opens a screen with two or more choices, use the Tab key to move between the choices. Press ENTER to select a highlighted command. Press ESC to return to the game without choosing a command. MENU SHORTCUT COMMAND KEYS Sierra Menu About Quest for Glory II G Help F1 Silly Clowns Y File Menu Save Game F5 Restore Game F7 Restart Game F9 Quit Q Game Menu Faster Animation + Normal Animation = Slower Animation - Sound Volume V Turn Sound on/off F2 Arcade Difficulty F4 Game Detail F6 Game Time Scale F8 Action Menu Cast Spell C Fight F Escape E Pause Game P Repeat Last Command F3 Information Menu Inventory Tab or I Character Sheet S Time/Day D Ask About A Tell About T Look At L Read Map R Compass Heading H or Backspace OTHER SHORTCUT KEYS Spacebar Repeat last command Shift-Click Look at SHORTCUT KEYS SHIFT-CLICK* is a feature that will allow you to 'look' at a person or object using your mouse. Place the mouse arrow on the desired person or object, then hold down the SHIFT key and press the mouse button. You will now receive a descriptive message. * Please note: Multi-button mouse users should use the RIGHT mouse button, and need not press SHIFT. GAME SPEED CONTROL At times it may be useful to slow down the speed of the game animation in order to negotiate a tricky section, or observe something more carefully. At other times, you may wish to speed up game actions. In Quest for Glory II, animation speed is control led by the and [- keys, or by selecting a choice from the Speed menu, using the mouse or Arrow keys. GAME TIME SCALE You can adjust the speed at which days and nights pass in the game by choosing GAME TIME SCALE from the Game menu. GAME DETAIL If your computer system is running the game too slowly, you may want to adjust the amount of nonessential animation in the game. At the beginning of the game, Game Detail will be automatically set at the best level for your system's speed. This level will be shown on the Came Details screen as OPTIMAL. You can adjust the detail level at any time during game play by choosing Game Detail and making another selection from the Game Detail screen. NOTE: WE DO NOT RECOMMEND SETTING THE DETAIL LEVEL HIGHER THAN THE OPTIMAL LEVEL FOR YOUR SYSTEM. ARCADE LEVEL You can set the difficulty level of arcade sequences (combat and skill-based puzzles) using the ARCADE LEVEL option in the Action menu. USING THE MOUSE (optional) Your mouse will be useful to you in moving your character, and in learning about your surroundings. To move your character using the mouse, position the arrow to where you want the character to move, then click the left mouse button. In many scenes, you can find out about a person or object by using the CLICK feature described above. EXAMPLES OF COMMON COMMANDS Communicating with Quest for Glory II Many characters in the game will have information of one kind or another for you. To talk with a character, type: ask about subject or object (for example: ask about the brigands) or press CTRL-A then type subject or object. Using a mouse, choose the menu command ask about. Try different approaches, and remember: talk to everyone you meet! You may encounter objects you need along the way. To take an object, type: take object. For example, take the note. You will need to use the objects you acquire as you explore. You can try different things such as typing: use the object], or give the object to character. Different approaches to a puzzle may bring about a different outcome. Pay close attention to details. To examine objects, type look at the object, (for example: look at the table), or press CTRL-L, then type the name of the object. Using a mouse you can also use the 'Shift-Click' feature described above. To get a general description of the current room or scene, type look, or use your mouse to choose LOOK from the menu. RETYPING COMMANDS If you wish to repeat a command select REPEAT LAST COMMAND from the ACTION menu or press the SPACEBAR or F3. INVENTORY/SPELL LIST If you wish to see the items you are carrying and/or the magic spells you have, select INVENTORY from the Action menu, press CTRL-I, or press the TAB key. You will see a list of the items you are carrying and the spells (if any). An asterisk (*) will appear next to any spell that is currently active. Press ENTER or ESC to resume play. PAUSING YOUR GAME If you wish to pause the game, select PAUSE from the Action menu, press CTRL-P or ESC I. Press ESC or ENTER to resume play. SAVING YOUR GAME If you wish to Save your game, select SAVE from the File menu, or type save, or press F5. To allow for errors in judgment and creative exploration, we recommend that you frequently save your game in progress, and that you save several different games from different points as you play. You will always want to save your game before encountering potentially dangerous situations. You should also save your game after you have made significant progress. Please note: If you're playing from diskettes, you must have a separate formatted diskette ready before you can save a game. If you choose to save games to your hard disk, we suggest that you create one or more save game directories or folders on your hard disk. See your computer's instructions for creating directories or folders. You may name your saved games using standard English phrases. For example, if you are standing by a fountain, you might call your game 'standing by fountain', or simply 'fountain'. RESTORING YOUR GAME Select RESTORE from the File menu, or type restore, or press F7. You will be prompted to select the game you wish to restore. (On a single drive system, you will be prompted to insert your save game disk). Highlight the desired game and select RESTORE. If the game you wish to restore is in a different directory. select CHANGE DIRECTORY. Please note: If you do not have a mouse, use the TAB key to toggle between RESTORE and CHANGE DIRECTORY QUITTING YOUR GAME If you wish to stop playing, select QUIT from the File menu, or type quit, or press CTRL-Q RESTARTING YOUR GAME If you wish to restart your game at any time during play, select RESTART from the file menu, or type restart, or press the F9 key. The game will begin again at the opening scroll. INTERACTING WITH QUEST FOR GLORY II You can generally interact with the game by typing simple commands consisting of as little as a noun and a verb. For instance, the command sit in the chair can be shortened to sit chair, or even sit. Unless otherwise directed, follow all typed commands with ENTER. A message window will appear after you enter each command, and at other times during the game. When you have read the message, press ENTER to remove the window and resume play. Trial by Fire understands many common verbs. Here are some you might try: ASK CLOSE FIGHT BARGAIN DISMOUNT GET BET DRINK GIVE BUY DROP GO CAST EAT JUMP CLIMB ESCAPE LOOK MOUNT RIDE STAND MOVE RUN TELL OIL SEARCH THANK OPEN SHOW THROW PICK SIT USE READ SNEAK WALK LOOK everywhere. Thoroughly explore your surroundings. Open doors and drawers, look under things and behind things for valuable objects and clues. Look closely at all objects you encounter or you may miss important details. EXPLORE each area of the game very carefully. Search every area of Shapeir. Be careful! ! There are many hazards awaiting you! DRAW A MAP as you progress through the game. Make a note of each area you visit, and include information about objects found there and dangerous areas nearby. If you miss an area, you may miss an important clue! ASK ABOUT anything you think a character might know. This is by far the best way to learn what is really going on in Shapeir. But use discretion! Some characters will be friendly and helpful. They may give you valuable information and advice. Others may mislead you. Some Common Things to Ask About: Shapeir Raseir Rumor Money Elemental Monster Weather Name Magic Sultan Emir Guild GET objects you think you will need. You will come across a number of objects that may be of use to you later, but don't overload your character. The amount that you can carry will vary depending on your strength. You can see an inventory of items on hand by pressing the TAB key at any time. USE the items you have picked up to solve problems in the game, or to help you to make progress and discover more clues. BE CAREFUL, and remain alert at all times - disaster may strike in the most unlikely of places. SAVE YOUR GAME OFTEN, especially when you are about to try something new or potentially dangerous. This way, if the worst should happen, you won't have to start all over again from the beginning. Save at different points of the game, so you will be able to return to a desired point in the game. In effect, this will enable you to travel backward through time and do things differently if you wish. NOTE: You cannot save your game during combat, or at certain other critical times, so remember: SAVE EARLY, AND SAVE OFTEN!. DON'T GET DISCOURAGED. If you come to an obstacle that seems insurmountable, don't despair. Spend some time exploring another area, and come back later. Every problem in the game has at least one solution, and some have more than one. Sometimes solving a problem one way will make it harder to solve the next one, and sometimes it will make it easier. If you get stuck, you might try backtracking to an earlier point in the game, then choosing a different path. If all else fails, you can buy the Quest for Glory II hint book from the dealer who sold you the game, or you can order it directly from Sierra On-Line. BRING ALONG SOME HELP. You may find it helpful (and fun) to play the game with a friend. Two (or more) heads are better than one at interpreting clues and solving problems, and Heroes throughout history have worked in teams.